Milford casino supporters call vote a missed opportunity

Foxwoods officials and supporters alike say the vote against the proposed casino on Tuesday marks a missed opportunity for the town.

By Lindsay Corcoran/Daily News staff

Milford Daily News

By Lindsay Corcoran/Daily News staff

Posted Nov. 20, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Nov 20, 2013 at 8:03 PM

By Lindsay Corcoran/Daily News staff

Posted Nov. 20, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Nov 20, 2013 at 8:03 PM

MILFORD

» Social News

Foxwoods officials and supporters alike say the vote against the proposed casino on Tuesday marks a missed opportunity for the town.

The opposition won, carrying 65 percent of the vote, soundly defeating the Foxwoods bid to build a $1 billion, 980,000-square-foot resort-casino in Milford.

“They spoke loudly, they made their point known,” said Chief Development Officer David Nunes after the vote. “They decided this is not something they wanted. I think this is definitely a missed opportunity for Milford … It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Milford residents supporting the casino plan were disappointed Tuesday night as they received the news from casino officials at the Crystal Room. They, too, saw it as an opportunity gone by.

“I think this is something that would have benefitted present and future Milfordians,” said Warren Heller, a Milford attorney who worked for the casino developers. “In a few years, people are going to look back at this vote and say we missed out on having financial security for the town for a long time.”

Steve Gulino, another supporter, said he thinks Milford has missed out on not only the money for the town, but also the promised scholarships for local students and improvements to the town’s services.

“I hope people reflect on this and realize they just put the town back a decade,” Gulino said.

Gulino compared the project to the type of development that will likely be built on the proposed casino property, which comprised 187 acres at the intersection of Interstate 495 and Rte. 16.

“That’s going to add traffic during the commute, use water and there’s going to be no off-ramp,” Gulino said. “I hope they realize: be careful what you wish for.”

Foxwoods President and CEO Scott Butera also expressed disappointment.

“We thought this would be something that the commonwealth and Milford would be proud of,” Butera said.

He said he thought that there were misunderstandings of casinos that may have led to the results in Milford and other casino referendums that have failed across the state.

“I think people are afraid of the unknown,” Butera said. “There’s a lot of myths about what casinos are. They are not these crazy, hedonistic places.”

Butera said he’s not sure what the future holds for Foxwoods, but said they are still interested in operating in Massachusetts if an opportunity exists.

Contact Lindsay Corcoran at 508-634-7582 or lcorcoran@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @LacorcMDN.